The present invention relates generally to electrical connectors and more particularly to the field of rack and panel connectors systems.
Connectors are known wherein one of a mating pair of multi-terminal electrical connectors is mounted on a rack panel and the other of the mating pair is mounted on the end of a drawer. The connectors are mated by inserting the drawer into the rack.
In rack and panel systems, access to the connectors is frequently not possible during mating; and the connectors must be "blind mated" to one another. To ensure proper alignment of the blind mated connectors, it is known to mount one of the connectors to be capable of moving or "floating" relative to the panel on which it is mounted to automatically align itself with the other connector during the mating process. One such rack and panel connector system is the METRIMATE Drawer Connector (trademark of AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa.). In the METRIMATE Drawer Connector, the plug connector of the mating pair is mounted on a drawer by two shoulder screws in a manner to provide a radial float mounting of the connector. Integrally molded guide pins on the mating end of the plug connector housing enter receiving recesses in the receptacle connector housing, and large tapered surfaces on the guide pins automatically align the plug and receptacle connector housing prior to mating of the plurality of male and female electrical terminals in the connectors. Alignment by the large tapered guide pins is possible because of the radial float mounting of the plug connector, permitting it to move laterally relative to the end panel of the drawer on which it is mounted during the mating process.
In many rack and panel connector systems, the connector members, particularly the floating connector member, could not be fully assembled until they were mounted to their respective panels in the field, thus presenting a problem of missing parts and system assembly in, frequently, an undesirable environment. In many designs, the floating connector member was secured to the panel by a plurality of screws or other separate fastening elements which increased assembly time and cost and was inconvenient to the worker. In many applications, design limitations necessitated that the floating connector member be mounted within a limited space on the panel; and the use of fastening screws and other components precluded fitting the connector within the available space.
In many prior rack and panel systems, the floating connector mount was not able to reliably withstand the often substantial forces that were encountered when the connector members were mated to or disconnected from one another. In some applications, for example, mating of the connector members is accomplished by robot arms which can apply significant forces to the connectors during the mating process.